


Find you

by silverisararermetalthangold



Series: I'll walk through the fire to find my way back to you [5]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Alec Lightwood, BAMF Clary Fray, BAMF Isabelle Lightwood, BAMF Jace Wayland, BAMF Simon Lewis, Ba - Freeform, Blood and Torture, Edom (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Edom Angst (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Emotionally Hurt Magnus Bane, F/M, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Hurt Isabelle Lightwood, Hurt Magnus Bane, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Magnus Bane's Omamori Charm, Post-Episode: s03e10 Erchomai, Sad Alec Lightwood, Sad Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, bleeding Isabelle, post 3x10 shadowhunters, tortured magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 21:39:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18290756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverisararermetalthangold/pseuds/silverisararermetalthangold
Summary: sequel of "when the darkness come""I will find you here inside the darkI will break through no matter where you areI will find youI will find you"now that the squad is in Edom, will they find Magnus, Luke and Raphael without being killed by the Asmodei first?





	Find you

**Author's Note:**

> Hi angels, here I am again with the chapter set in Edom, this time the song that inspired the chapter is the song that every malec shipper desire for Malec in hell: find you by ruelle.  
> I MEAN IT'S FUCKING PERFECT  
> so sorry for the 14k but the angst comes with a high price sometimes u.u  
> I'll wait you in the notes below!

 

_Clary stood on a shady lawn full of bright red and orange flowers constellating the entire hill she was standing on, making it look like a painting from Monet’s era._

_The sky overhead was a light blue, dotted here and there with white clouds, the air comfortably warm._

_In front of her, stood a little mansion the color of the clouds above her; a deep green ivy covered a large part of the little house giving it the atmosphere of a little cottage in one of the tales Luke told her when she was little and refused to sleep._

_At the entrance, mighty and graceful iron balconies curved out with two large arched doors of dark colored wood, their surfaces had delicate designs of wings carved in it similar to lace. Wings for the Fairchild, reminded her mind._

_“Clary! Hurry up! My mother is almost ready!”_

_A glowing Isabelle, enveloped in a bright Bordeaux long dress that fitted her like a second skin, was gripping the banister of the small balcony, a wide smile on her red lips and arms bare, circled with black runes; next to her, an elegant Simon tucked in a black and simply tuxedo._

_“What do you think? Doesn’t it look gorgeous?” Clary jumped at the unfamiliar voice appeared out of nowhere; she turned towards the person talking and gasped: Johnatan._

_But it wasn’t the Johnatan she knew, somehow his features were delicate, less sharp and his eyes – green as the grass under them – held an unending happiness in them._

_Clary followed her brother’s gaze toward where he pointed with his chin._

_There was an archway set up at the end of an aisle composed by sunflowers alternated to waterfalls of tiny white flowers with a honey scent that soaked the air around them, on either side were rows of wooden benches, a golden tulle hang at the edges._

_“What’s…happening?” Clary asked with an uncertain voice, unsure of what situation was going on; Johnatan opened his eyes, and Clary noticed how many freckles were appearing thanks to the sun “what do you mean? Today is the day we become Lightwoods adopted”_

_What?_

_“The wedding between Maryse and Luke sis, are you still sleeping?” Sure, here Johnatan was the perfect and normal brother, and her surrogate father was marrying the woman he learned to love after her mother._

_“Is that dirt on your cheek?” Johnatan quickly raised his right hand and sighed._

_“Chocolate, I need to go back and adjust the cake, Jace must be banished from the kitchen; he and Max are a nightmare on four legs”_

_At first Clary didn’t noticed, **maybe it’s chocolate.**_

_But the stains weren’t brown: Johnatan’s fingertips were a bright red, and the red dripped down to the grass, marking it._

_Blood._

_Suddenly, Clary felt the ground shatter under her feet._

_She reached out, as if to catch her brother, but her hand went through him._

_He was as insubstantial as air. The flowers around her and the cozy little Fairchild’s house were melting and transforming into the dark and infernal version of a Dalì painting and when Johnatan turned to Clary, facing her, half of his body and face revealed themselves as skeleton._

_She stumbled, horrified and terrified, hitting the ground hard, jarring her elbows with a pain she felt flare up her arms, the horrifying mask of her brother’s face watching her._

_She rolled to her side, choking. She was lying on a patch of bleak ground; under her, a pile of broken bones acted as a mattress; around her, burned-out shells of houses loomed over her._

_Clary dared to look up, the sky was the same red as his brother’s blooding fingertips with some black clouds – black as Johnatan’s eyes – ripping it. It was a dead world, a world with all the color leached out of it, and with it all the life. Clary curled up on the ground, her mind full of the shell of a destroyed world and the brother she would never have._

_Long blue drapes – midnight blue – adorned the entire Institute’s chapel, on the walls shone different runes: love, destined, marriage, alliance, loyal to, prosperity._

_On the chairs situated in front of the altar, glimpse of gold veil material enveloped tiny iris bouquets._

_The room was bathed in golden sunlight, downworlders and shadowhunters were chatting as if they were one thing._

_At the left of the altar, a marvelous white piano was standing, Jace already sitting on the stool with Clary and Max on his lap laughing with Maia and Luke._

_Alec never felt calmer than in this moment: this was the room when his life changed, when for the first time he decided to choose himself._

_Now, he was Consul in the Clave, Head of the Institute, and soon to be husband._

_Maryse’s voice snapped Alec out of his mind “are you ready my boy?” her smile was totally different from the one she wore at the fake marriage with Lydia._

_She was shining of a light that only pure happiness can gift._

_“Never felt readier for anything in my life” Alec took place on the altar, brother Zachariah behind him and soon everyone quietly and excitedly got back to their respective chairs._

_Jace’s expert fingers began to play the bicolor tastes, a sweet and happy melody that accompanied Madzie’s shy smile and her tiny hands throwing white rose petals along the navel._

_Then, Alec stopped breathing: the archer knew that Magnus would be dressed in gold to honor the shadowhunters’ tradition same as Alec dressed in midnight blue to honor the warlock’s traditions, but actually seeing him literally wrapped in gold with all the runes designed into his tuxedo was like seeing the manifestation of the Angel himself._

_Alec then noticed the eyes: cat eyes._

_And holy fuck, what was breathing?_

_“Alec breathe or Magnus will be a widow before even getting married” Isabelle’s voice behind him tried to hide the mockery in it, failing._

_Catarina, dressed in a bright flowery dress, was walking her best friend down the aisle, her eyes watery and joyful._

_Magnus stepped on the altar as the music slowly ended, Alec helping him and then intertwining their hands._

_After a while, came the moment of the vows “repeat after me: I Alexander Gideon Lightwood take thee, Magnus Bane as my husband, I promise to be always loyal, in joy and in pain, in health and in disease and to honor you my whole life”_

_Alec took a deep breath and then smiling, look up “I Alexan-“but suddenly Alec froze._

_Magnus’ face – which a second ago was beautiful, with the right amount of golden kohl make up that glorified his caramel skin tone even more – now presented different bruises of various dimension and colors, but the worse thing wasn’t this: on his neck a burning red, palpitant agony rune stood._

_Wait…warlocks can’t be runed, what the hell was happening?_

_“Magnus, your face, what happened-?_

_“Alexander you have to wake up, this is not real”_

_“What do you mean it’s not real, why do you have bruises-“ Alec’s face turned towards his friends and family: they were still smiling, someone’s was even crying, his mother had a handkerchief up to his left eye._

_Nobody was moving, nobody was noticing something different._

_“Alexander you’re in Edom, remember” at these words, the archer turned versus Magnus again, this time the warlock’s face was clean, healed, perfect as before._

_“I-I don’t understand-“_

_“Alexander, please wake up, I don’t have much time left and neither Raphael, please!” Magnus gripped Alec by the shoulder, his hands travelling until they reached his lover’s face “It’s a hallucination” Magnus’s cat eyes were watery and full of pain “brought on by your entry into the demon realms. It’s probably a demon that lurks near the entrance to the world and feeds on the dreams of travelers especially the deepest wishes of our hearts.”_

_Alec’s head was spinning, his world falling into pieces; in a flash, he saw the Seelie Queen, Johnatan kidnapping Magnus, the rune carved collar on his skin._

_“By the angel” the archer looked at Magnus, taking his hands into his “I’m coming for you, resist”_

_Alec kissed him like as if it was the last time it could happen, his eyes closed, a single tear running down his right cheek._

_Suddenly, he felt the world around him crack, in his mind the noise similar to a shattering glass; the voices around him felt more and more distant as if he was standing inside a bubble or underwater._

_Even the feeling of Magnus’ hands on his face was disappearing and all Alec wanted to do was crying._

He snapped his eyes open as his knees hit the ground, the smoke filling his lungs immediately making him cough.

All he can see through the smoke was two things: red and rocks, a desolate infernal landscape.

The stink of Icore hit his nostrils, and he jerked back instinctively as something jumped over him—a mass of smoke, a cluster of glittering yellow eyes hanging in the darkness were jumping on him so Alec fumbled for his bow and drew it back.

When the runed arrow flew through the monster, the thing roared; it flicked through the air and sank itself deep into the smoke demon. A shrilling scream cracked the air, the demon pulsing around the arrow buried deep inside it until the demon literally fell to the ground like dead weight.

 

Alec let himself crumble down to the ground, his bow held tight in his fist; he took five seconds to regulate his breathe and then looked Edom for the first time: the air was heavy, the ground had creaks and, in some points, lava.

The sun was a dying cinder, up in the burning orange air hundreds of Asmodei.

Alec got up and looked around, his mind going into full panic because the others weren’t there.

Trying to suffocate the panic raising in his chest, he run to the nearest hill and instantly sighed in relief; his sister was crouched on her knees, her shoulders trembling.

In a second, Alec scrambled down the steep side of the hill and took her in his arms. “Iz” Isabelle let out a sob and broke the hug wiping away some tears “I’m fine” she sniffled and Alec asked himself what she could have seen so tragic “it’s all gone, everything is fine” he kissed her forehead but a sudden noise made him jump in front of her sister only to sigh when he realized it was just Simon with Clary at his side.

Alec noticed Simon had watery eyes; _what did he saw?_

“It was a dream demon, the kind of demon that fed himself with your most profound desire, it’s dead”

Alec peaked behind the two friends “Where’s Jace?” Clary went pale even with all the dust on her face “we were thinking he was with you-“

“Clary wait-!” as quickly as Alec stand up trying to stop her, she was already far away up the hill, followed by the rest of the squad.

Jace was in the crook of two hills, on his knees, paralyzed and shocked.

Clary skidded to a halt in front of him, dropped to her knees, and took his face into her dirty hands “Jace whatever you’re seeing it’s not real, Alec killed it, it’s not real, please wake up”

“I know it’s not real” Jace looked up and Alec saw emptiness in them “what did you saw, Valentine?”

“Nothing” Jace’s voice shown an obvious lie but Alec didn’t say anything; Clary crouched forward and took Jace’s cheeks in her hands caressing them with her thumbs and all Alec could see and feel was the touch of Magnus’ hands on his face in his dream.

Magnus dressed in gold.

Magnus at the altar ready to marry him.

Magnus who might not even still be alive.

“Alec…?” Simon, next to him was looking at him, his voice catching the attention of the others “Alec are you-“

Alec immediately turned around, giving them his armored back, his hand quickly dried his tears and then travelled into his hair, gripping them out in frustration.

“Magnus…?” Jace asked carefully, still messed up “yeah, dressed in gold…I already hate this place”

Isabelle sighed hugging her brother, but the bittersweet moment was interrupted by Simon’s voice “…guys?”

His tone sounded panicked and when Clary turned around, she understood why: a horde of Asmodei was flying in circle up the dream demon; all of them noticed the sudden change of calm atmosphere in their realm.

Suddenly the Asmodei stopped and began to fly towards the squad.

Alec grabbed quickly his bow and put in place five explosion arrows, stretched the string and let them fly into the air.

The first line of Asmodei fell, but it wasn’t enough.

“RUN!” Alec put behind him Simon and Isabelle and began to run towards a mountain with some niches in it “RUN RUN RUN! TOWARDS THE MOUNTAIN!”

The squad began to run towards the niches while Alec continued to shoot explosive arrows to keep them away “Clary hurry up, give me your hand-“Jace raised Clary from the ground and helped her landing into the small niche soon followed by Simon.

Isabelle was the next one reaching them “Iz there’s a door here!” While the girls tried to open it unsuccessfully, the parabatai were still out in open field “Jace go help them! I’ll be right behind you!”

“Alec-“

“Go!” Jace climbed with agility the short-rocked wall and went to the girls and Simon “What’s that? A door?”

“Yeah but it doesn’t open!” Clary voice was raising in volume and that was a signal for how much she was scared.

Suddenly Jace’s hands – that were grabbing the gate’s pommel – started glowing together with his eyes, like melting god.

“Is it…normal?” Simon looked at Clary uncertain while the rumors of explosions continued out of the niche “heavenly fire, it’s in Jace’s blood- “

“Jace-!”

Simon and Isabelle turned around finding half of Alec’s head peeking out, his hands trying to reach something to grab to raise himself up, his bow almost at Simon’s feet.

“Alec!” Izzy run to help his brother but the Asmodei were too much close.

Clary did the only thing that came in her mind: she took out her Steele and drew a rune into the palm of her hand, while the rune began glowing, one of the Asmodei’s tail hit Alec’s back and a sharp pain spread through his entire body– and especially his cheek where the end of the tail hit him – destroying a small detail of the wings Alec had on the back.

As Isabelle raised Alec into the niche, along with his screams, Clary extended her hand with a ray of light erupting out of her palm that destroyed every Asmodeo behind Alec.

Alec let his back fell on the rocky ground behind him taking deep breaths with his head on his sister’s lap, Clary next to him on her knees.

Outside the niche, hundreds of Asmodei were laying dead.

“Was this a _welcome to hell_ presentation?” Simon helped Isabelle getting up and then followed her to Jace who, as Clary killed the Asmodei, opened the gates in front of him with his heavenly fire.

“more or less” Alec got up helping Clary, his eyes picking immediately Jace’s handprints on the gates “you’re not in control of heavenly fire here” his hair were sticking to his forehead from the sweat.

“Don’t worry bro, everything will be fine” Jace walked beyond the gates analyzing the angelic runes on the walls of the hallway.

Simon watched him and Isabelle behind him and in his mind there was only a thought: _usually when someone say this type of thing, nothing will definitely be fine._

Simon reached Isabelle and Clary, leaving Alec to close the gates behind them like a barrier from the demons out there.

The hallway’s walls was enveloped in intricate design of runes; some known to Clary, others not but a voice in the back of her head was telling her to trust them, these runes were of protection and defense against demons.

The squad walked for a few minutes, and the more they went, the more the air was more fresh and pure, the stink of Icore and blood disappearing from under the noses; after breathing smoke and dust, their lungs were singing a hallelujah for this.

They come out into a circular area, the floor was a mix between rocky and earthy, the ceiling a black sky constellated of stalactites black as ebony, shy pearls of water made them shine like thousands of stars.

With the tip of his boot, Alec moved an old mix of rocks “fire rune…someone used this place as hideout a long time ago”

“Yeah and this someone knew the magic of runes, I don’t know all of them but I can feel they talk about protection and sanctity” Clary was amazed by the ones she didn’t know, maybe she would have to draw them to analyze back in the Institute.

“we’re gonna sleep here tonight” Jace let his backpack fall heavily on the floor and then looked around “okay Izzy and Simon look the Est hallway, Clary follow me to the west hallway, Alec-“  
“I’m gonna light the fire, I don’t want to watch my siblings take advantage of a moment of calm to explore each other’s throats”

Simon seems shocked “we won’t have a make out session in a demoniac dimension-“

“Why not? At least you can” at these words, the two couples understood Alec’s need to have a moment alone without couples around, and left to their little mission “prepare the food bro, we won’t stay away too long” Isabelle moved a stray of hair behind her hear and lead Simon to the Est hallway, her whip shining into her hand.

Soon after, jace and Clary followed their example and disappeared into their hallway.

 

“Jace what do you think would happen to Alec if we find Magnus…you know…” Clary wiped away a tear escaped from her green eyes with a dusty hand and continued to follow Jace.

“Alec would die with him” Jace answered immediately, like he knew exactly what would happen to his brother.

_Of course he know, they’re parabatai and lived together for almost their entire life._

“Alec and Magnus don’t deserve this, after all they’ve been through” Jace stopped and looked at his girlfriend “ehy, we’ll find them, all of them _alive_ , don’t lose hope, not you” the blonde parabatai took Clary’s left cheek in his hand and locked his gold and brown eyes in hers

“I need you to have faith for both of us” he then kissed her forehead and turned towards the hallway again.

“Clary! Clary I’ve found something!” Clary run to him and gasped.

 Jace found an enormous cavern, half-filled with an underground transparent lake with pillars of quartz here and there like little crystal anemones.

The roof was the same as the circular area they left Alec in, with short and agleam stalactites, formed by years of trickling water, and it glowed like a starry sky.

It was so beautiful that Clary wanted to cry.

“Purification runes” Jace was observing the fundal of the lake, where black runes were carved all around.

Jace moved down and crouched by the water, thrusting his hands into it. Clary came up behind him, and knelt down as he splashed water over her face and neck, scrubbing at the stains of dust and mold.

“This is so refreshing-ehi!” she turned to Jace, a smirking playing on his lips, a second later he threw water at her again laughing.

Jace loved her laugh and seen the situation they were in, he felt honored to made her laugh one more time.

 

 

“there’s nothing here, this hallway is safe” Isabelle extended her arm with her witchlight shining in her hand “we should inform the others-“ Isabelle stumbled on her feet as Simon grabbed her armor in a failed attempt of not falling.

“Simon? By the Angel-Simon!” the vampire had a hand on his breastplate’s armor, _over the heart_ , realized Isabelle crouching down and holding him.

“Simon look at me, try to…breathe, even if you don’t breathe” but Simon couldn’t hear her, the sharp pain spreading through his whole body so deep that he could feel it into his bones.

After a minute, the pain ceased and Simon took a profound breath, even if he didn’t need to, and looked at her scared girlfriend “what happened?”

“I don’t know, let’s return to Alec and eat some blood oka-“she didn’t finished her line as they both turned around, hearing something.

“Did you hear that?” the Shadowhunter nodded and walked cautiously towards the noises that sounded like a rustle and a cry; it was coming from the part of the tunnel they hadn’t explored yet. Isabelle quickly stood up holding Simon and entered the unknown hallway, her witchlight bouncing wildly off the walls creating sinister shadows on their faces.

The tunnel had only one more curve before it ended in the remains of a shattered metal gate. Beyond that, an open view stone hole showed a deserted landscape full of Asmodei flying around.

The sky bloody red with some clouds dark as smoke.

“What can you see?” Isabelle asked, knowing that Simon’s vision was far better than hers was in this case.

“There are demons out there. A lot. Mostly airborne.”

“Asmodei”

“Yeah.” Simon strained his eyes. “There’s more. In the distance there’s something shimmering.”

“A lake, maybe?”

“No, it’s like- something more vertical” Simon concentrated on outlining the object better.

“Like what?”

“Like a city,” he said reluctantly. “Like a demon city.”

 

“Oh.”

For a moment she paled;

_Could it be…?_

Isabelle straightened up and Simon could see a new spark of fierce hope in her bright dark eyes, a new spark of excitement.

_Maybe they founded Johnatan’s castle._

_Maybe they had found them sooner that they expected._

Turning away from the shattered ruins of the bright word that once was, she turned to Simon smiling “We better go back and tell the others.”

 

 

**I can hear the sound of your barely beating heart**

**Pieces on the ground from the world that fell apart**

The regular and low breaths of Luke, sleeping with Raphael’s head in his lap, was the only thing perceivable in the dark cell.

Magnus, laid out on the thin mattress on his right side, let out a trembling sigh while his eyes scanned the bite marks on his left wrist.

Luke and Magnus were trying to save him but with practically his entire throat open, there wasn’t much they could do.

And Magnus fucking hated it.

In all his centuries he lost people he cared about, people he love even, sometimes immortal sometimes mortal.

Somehow, the thought of losing his child and his boyfriend all at once was unbearable, too much even for his 400 years of built walls and facades and lessons learnt through his friends and lovers’ death.

Raphael was practically his son, he helped and raised him after his transition in vampire, Raphael learned to love again, and more important, he learned how to love Magnus.

Magnus’ nature couldn’t allow to have children, and now the only adopted one he had was dying in front of his eyes in a pool of blood.

Magnus thought that his blood’s smell would live in his nightmares forever.

The warlock moved his handcuffed hands under the pillow – his lips trembling at the view of blood even on his chains – until he found his tiny anchor.

The burnt omamori, the gift from his Alexander.

Alexander for Magnus wasn’t the first love, wasn’t the first kiss or the first date or even the first time.

Alexander was just his Alexander, the Shadowhunter that kissed him in front of the entire Clave, risked to be stripping of his runes, risked to lose his family and job and instead conquered the hearts of all of his colleagues, the respect of the Clave and the love of his mother.

Alexander may not be Magnus firsts times, but it was without a single doubt the love of his life, the soulmate Magnus craved and searched for his entire life, the other part of his heart that had been always missing.

Probably, he wouldn’t have seen him again.

Probably Magnus would have never seen him in gold and with the children they both dreamed of.

The warlock took the omamori to his heart – he could hear it barely beating, this situation was too much even for his human muscle – and let a tear fall down on it, leaving a wet spot on the top of the charm.

The omamori was the only thing that kept him sane, that kept him going on from the world that completely fell apart.

Magnus, for the first time, let himself free all of his bottled up feelings and cried to sleep.

The omamori stayed next to his owner’s heart all night, as if it could have relieved some of the weight and pain.

 

**Just hold on**

**It won't be long**

 

Alec was watching the flames of the tiny fire burning in front of him, lost in thoughts.

_What if they would have arrived too late? Was Magnus still alive?_

Alec moved a thin piece of stalactite in the hearty floor, his hands moving alone drawing love and destined runes and the Shadowhunter felt his eyes wetting at the view.

He beated his eyelashes quickly, trapping the tears that threatened to come out; he got up, his feet taking him towards the gate they closed before and the view behind it.

He stood there watching the desolate land that seemed infinite, and wondered if he would have been so lucky to find Magnus.

The life he lived this past year flashed in front of him: from being a mere star eclipsed by Jace’s supernova to being the Head of the Institute that went to hell to save his downworlder boyfriend.

The Clave was probably collapsing at the news.

Alec forced a tiny smile at the thought and then his hand took out the omamori safely hidden in the pocket behind his breastplate.

Alexander Gideon Lightwood has always believed that he would have never be free.

Or in love.

And now he was both.

Magnus, for Alec, was his every firsts times, from the first man to really see him to the first kiss to the first time to the first date and so go on.

Magnus, High warlock of Brooklyn, was the love of Alec’s life and the archer never doubted it for a second.

Every Shadowhunter loves once and fiercely, and Magnus for Alec was this, his soulmate, the love Alec would have felt once and for the rest of his life.

His eyes fell on the charm in his hand, on the intricate design, on the bright red clothes burnt in the middle.

Alec brought his anchor close to his heart, as a tentative to calm and decrease his pain.

He opened his eyes and glanced, with a murderous look, at the firing landscape expanding in front of him.

_hold on, Magnus._

_It won't be long._

 

 

When Jace and Clary appeared, cleaner than before and wet, Alec immediately recomposed himself, regaining his unbreakable surface.

The archer turned around, arching an eyebrow at them.

“Why are you wet?” Jace let himself fall on the ground near the fire.

He took out a piece of bread with some cheese, turned to his parabatai and with his mouth full answered “ ’e ‘ound an lil lake”

Alec sighed next to him, Clary intervening to translate what his hungry boyfriend said “this uncivilized man just said that we found a cave with a little lake”

Jace glanced at her offended – but offering her another piece of bread with cheese - while Alec opened his backpack in search of food.

He took out a tiny orange, peeling it with too much cure and then eating it in minuscule bites.

Jace watched him, a bitchface on his face “that orange will give you enough energy to fight a bird”

“Well Asmodei are birds…just demoniac” his parabatai rolled his eyes, muttering some sort of imprecation.

“Alec, you know what I mean”

“I’m not hungry”

Alec took the peelings and threw them into the fire; instantly the air smelled like oranges and Clary couldn’t decide if she liked it or not.

“Alec-“ Jace tried to talk again but was sudden interrupted by Isabelle and Simon with red cheeks and short breath.

Jace looked at them and then smirked, imitating Simon “ _we won’t have a make out session in a demoniac dimension_ my ass” his hand cupping a bottle of water while letting out a little laugh.

“We didn’t you parabaidiot”

“Uh I like this nickname, it suits you” Jace glared at his brother and then turned to Izzy and Simon again “we found a city, well Simon found out with his vampire sight but okay”

The tiny orange in Alec’s hand abruptly fell on the ground almost rolling into the flames.

“A city?” Izzy walked towards Alec, sitting between him and Simon and continued to explain what they had seen.

“We didn’t saw much though, it seems like a demoniac city with Asmodei flying around”

“…..could it be Johnatan’s refuge” Clary whispered the words no one wanted to say fearing Alec’s reaction; when she saw the rest of the squad looking at their leader – that was trying so hard to not let the others see how much his body, mind and heart were teared apart – Clary thought that maybe she shouldn’t have said it.

But there was something in Alec’s eyes that made her think the opposite, in his hazel eyes there wasn’t just the reflection of the burning flames, there was something else that resembled the same spark she had herself when Jace was the owl, something that was burning more than the fire itself.

The spark of hope.

 

 

 

 

**I will find you here inside the dark**

**I will break through**

**No matter where you are**

 

After a while – in reality two hours – Alec got up and gestured to Simon.

“Get up and show me the city, I’ll take the first watch”

Simon obeyed and left the warm blanket where Isabelle was warming herself.

After they disappeared into the hallway, Jace took all Alec eaten and sighed: two oranges wouldn’t have helped his brother to finish this mission.

 

 

“How many?”

Simon observed the sky doing a mental counting “I think around two hundredth of Asmodei”

“Damn, if it was Johnatan’s castle we can’t go out in an open battle, it’s too risky”

“We should inspect the place closely” Simon drank the last bit of blood from his bottle and then cleaned his mouth.

“Thanks, you can go back, even if you’re a vampire try to sleep”

Simon nodded and made to go back but blocked his steps, uncertain of what to do, or say.

“Alec, we will find them” Simon’s voice was fond and held a tentative of reassurance that made the archer drink a sip from the bottle he had taken with him.

“I hope” Alec’s eyes turned briefly at Simon’s.

Simon looked at Alec, slightly pale and with a hint of dark circles under his hazel eyes.

In his hand a bottle of something, that wasn’t for sure water, stood in a tight grip.

 

 

Simon returned to the rest of the squad with his brows furrowed and a worried expression on his face.

“Jace I think Alec is drinking alcohol” three pairs of eyes turned and watched the vampire as if he grew three heads.

“Alec is doing what?” Isabelle let her marshmallows skewer into the fire with a choked scream, picking it up and blowing on it.

Simon watched her girlfriend dumb faced “did you really took marshmallows to hell?”

“I need sugars” Clary giggled at Isabelle giving her back to Simon waving her hair and continuing to roast her sweets.

Jace’s amused expression disappeared almost instantly, his mind back to Alec.

“I thought it was water because you can’t practically breathe in this dimension full of fine dust, but from the smell and Alec’s face I don’t think it was water in the end”

Jace locked his eyes to the fire in front of him, the smell of oranges still in the air.

Persistent.

Like Alec’s pain.

You didn’t always noticed it, but it was always there in front of everyone’s eyes and in the back of their minds.

Jace looked at Clary and like always, they understood each other without talking.

 

 

**I will find you**

**I will find you**

 

 

“You know, being drunk won’t help you saving Magnus, it will be his downfall” Jace leaned against the rocket wall of the cave in which Alec was doing his first turn guard.

Alec gave him a brief glance but didn’t respond, instead, he took the neck of the bottle and took another long sip continuing to stare at the infernal landing.

“Alec” Jace was walking near his parabatai, sitting next to him “Johnatan can’t kill Magnus, or Luke or Raphael they’re important to Clary and Clary is the only thing he cares about, if he kills one of them Clary would kill him and he knows that”

“How would you feel if it was Clary the one that Sebastian had taken? If it were her we were going to rescue, not knowing if she was dead or alive? How would you be doing?” Alec took another sip, his face emotionless for anyone who didn’t know him well as Jace.

“I would be devastated” Jace lowered his head trying not think about Clary tortured by Johnatan.

“Well this” Alec raised the bottle in front of Jace, moving the few inch of alcohol remained in circle

“This is me devastated, this is me without the man that made my heart complete for the first time in all my life” Alec got up, a little unstable, and walked towards the hole of the cave that acted as a window.

“This is me with my heart in pieces, this is a me full of rage and coldness and vengeance this is-“

“Ehi ehi I understand Alec, but you need to remember that you’re not alone in this” Jace looked at Alec, his brother by another mother, his best friend, his parabatai.

His figure was outlined against the lava-colored sky, Jace could see every shade of his expression, and everything he had been keeping pent up.

He thought of the way Alec had killed the faerie knight in the Court; cold and quick and merciless. None of that was like Alec. And yet Jace had not paused to think about it, to think what drove that coldness: the hurt, the anger, the fear. “This,” Alec said, gesturing toward himself. “This is me in pieces.”

 

“Downworlders can’t bare runes, how can Magnus be still alive after all this time? After all Johnatan probably did to him- I by the angel what if I see him in a pool of blood, I can’t lose him, I don’t want to fucking lose him-!”

“Ehi ehi ehi shh, okay, come here”

Jace got up and immediately wrapped his destroyed and drunk brother in his arms feeling sad to see him in this state but also determined to find their family as soon as possible.

Jace sat down and offered his shoulder to cry and Alec took it, completely breaking down.

 

 

**Like the wind that cries**

**I can feel you in the night**

**A distant lullaby**

**Underneath the shattered sky**

**Just hold on**

**It won't be long**

 

 

Magnus let out a painful whimper as soon as his body touched the hard mattress, the handcuffs limiting his movements, obstructing him from turning completely on left side.

This session of torture had been the most intense for now, Magnus didn’t know why.

The warlock watched his arms and sighed: both were covered in dark blue and purple bruises, in some points the old ones had become yellow.

He took a deep breath and a sharp pain spread through his entire ribcage; he counted at least five ribs broken or inclined.

The pain he felt in his jaw when he pressed his cheek into the pillow confirmed another swollen bone and from the taste of iron he tasted on his tongue he assumed of having a broken lip.

Magnus was strong, both physically and mentally but not forever.

He could endure torture on himself for a long time, he could fight mentally abuse on his mind for days, he could resist and try not to give Johnatan the satisfaction of winning.

But even if he was a warlock, his body wasn’t magic, it was a human body and a human body is easy to destroy in very little time if you knew how to do it.

If Johnatan didn’t killed him yet it was for two reasons: he was waiting the right time, maybe Clary’s arrival or he was just enjoying having him as a human box (or experiment since his fallen angel bloodline had bared the agony rune).

Sometimes, when Johnatan tortured his skin, he could feel his father’s blood literally boiling through his veins as a sort of barrier, Magnus hated this even more.

Magnus moved his gaze to the window on the wall near his mattress, his eyes getting lost in the too much familiar red sky: he hated to see it again after all this centuries of damnatio memoriae.

The familiar sound of the Asmodei flying around the castle resembled a loud cry, similar to the one Dante heard coming from the souls in pain in Hell but even in this endless screams, somehow Magnus could feel Alec, especially at night when the tortures ended and he could try to gain sleep holding the omamori.

He lowered his cat eyes on the omamori in his hand, his eyes meeting for a brief moment the alliance rune on his wrist.

Magnus wondered if his sweet Alexander was somewhere here, in Edom, tearing down Hell and Clave’s rules for his warlock boyfriend.

Magnus hoped that Alexander, for how much he loved him, stayed away from Edom, no matter what.

But deep down, he also hoped to see Alec coming to save him.

Magnus shifted on the bed until he laid on his left – and less beaten up – side of his body, his cat eyes gazing at the omamori.

_Wherever you are, it won’t be long my love._

 

 

 

 

Jace sat down without grace, his bones screaming in pain.

The others were in the same condition, tired, in pain and with blood smeared on their faces.

Jace noticed that everyone had some parts of their armature broken or completely missing: the Asmodei weren’t gently for sure, every hit planned to be lethal.

Simon took out his flask filled with blood while offering Isabelle her favorite sandwich, which she took and literally devoured it; Simon let out a giggle at her girlfriend’s hunger.

Jace and Clary did the same, the blonde never leaving Alec, controlling that his brother actually ate something consistent and not some stupid little orange slices.

“Stop controlling if I eat Jace”

“Let me think about it…nope”

Alec ignored him rolling his eyes, his mind completely on another place.

Deep down, Alec was thankful to his brother, the archer was suffering and even if he tried to hide it behind oranges and alcohol, he knew that Jace could feel all the feelings Alec felt.

He was thankful to Jace for being his rock in his darkest time, when his heart was hoping to find Magnus alive and his mind most of the times were leading him to obscure thoughts.

“Tomorrow we’ll go to the city Simon saw, maybe it will help us finding Johnatan’s castle” Jace’s voice sounded tired and when he laid down, he winced in pain.

“Yeah probably the castle is located where we saw the storm of Asmodei flying around; we need to be silent and wary”

Clary nodded at Alec’s words and then proceeded to lay down next to Jace, a little assort in her thoughts.

Isabelle soon followed Clary’s example putting her head on Simon’s arm, her eyes reaching his brother’s figure.

Alec was still sitting, his hazel eyes unfocused on the fire in front of him; Isabelle noticed the crescent dark circles under his eyes, the hint of a beard growing, his cheeks less filled.

Isabelle never saw him in this state, and she didn’t want to imagine what would happen if this mission failed.

She closed her eyes ready to sleep, when suddenly she heard Alec talking quietly “do you think Magnus is still alive?”

 _He’s preparing himself for the worse_ , realized Izzy with a lump in her throat.

Clary got up and put a hand on Alec’s shoulder, trying to reassure him “I’m sure of it, Magnus is not what Johnatan wants, I am what he wants and he knows how much I care about Magnus, Luke and Raphael…killing one of them would be his downfall with me”

Alec remained silent for a minute, dwelling on his friend’s words; he then turned his head and gave Clary a tiny smile “you’re probably right”

Clary retired her hand and let Alec laying down to sleep; Clary looked at the others and noticed that everyone were worried for Alec, his expression when he answered Clary didn’t convinced them neither.

Alec gave them his back, his eyes gazing the red shattered sky outside: he laid on the side and then moved his hand to one of the secrets pockets in his breastplate finding the burnt omamori hidden in it.

He looked at it, imagining Magnus doing the same wherever he was and somehow this thought was comforting.

_It supposed to bring you luck and protection._

Alec’s lips trembled at the memory of their first date months ago and he couldn’t stop some tears falling down his cheeks.

A few seconds later, he felt two arms embracing him as much as they could despite the armor he wore, two hands with nails painted pitch lucid black into his hair.

“we’ll find him Alec, I promise” Isabelle hand moved through his brother’s hair in a calming and reassuring pace while Alec broke down in her arms one more time.

Alec brought the omamori to his heart, promising that it wouldn’t be long until they would reunite with each other.

After all, _they always find their way back to each other._

 

 

 

**I will find you here inside the dark**

**I will break through no matter where you are**

**I will find you**

**I will find you**

 

 

 “Okay five minutes to take the water and cleaning ourselves and then we start walking towards the city”

“I would prefer an entire bottle of coffee right now”

“tell me about it Fray, there’s a vamp place not far from Union Square where they mix just the right amount of blood into the coffee,” Simon’s took a sip out of his bloody bottle “Not too sweet, not too salty.”

“Eww Simon” Clary giggled at Jace’s reaction and then turned to her friend again “we’re gonna celebrate the mission with the biggest cup of bloody coffee you ever had”

“Best friend in the world”

 

Alec huffed impaling his sword into the sand to help him walk through the desert’s dunes, the ground pocked here and there with cracked pits with lava flooding and exploding in little eruptions, everything was covered in endless dull sheen of dust.

The air was still bitter and was making hard to breathe all of them; the sky the same color as burning embers.

Suddenly the archer stopped, and at the corner of Clary’s vision something glimmered.

She took out her stele and drew a quick farsighted rune onto her wrist, the sting of the stele’s dull tip burning her skin was enough to pull her out a little from exhaustion.

“Simon, do you see that?” he followed her gaze squinting his eyes “I caught a glimpse of it last night. Remember when Isabelle said I thought I’d seen a city?”

“We found it!” both of them turned towards Jace’s voice, reaching him and the lightwood’s siblings in two steps.

They tried to walk down down the slope, which was covered in loose scree, but ended in half-running and half-sliding, letting the pebbles carry them.

In her mind, Clary thanked Lava for their gears: She could only imagine how the flying bits of gravel would have torn normal pants to shreds.

She hit the bottom of the slope seeing Jace standing some distance ahead, with Alec and Isabelle next to him, their movements faster and more expertized than hers and Simon’s.

As Clary closed in on the three of them, she saw that they stopped to a place where the desert seemed to drop away: the edge of a cliff.

 

Clary sped up, scrambling and nearly rolling down the hill until Simon run to her helping her to land on her feet.

Alec, Isabelle and Jace were silent, their eyes glued to the view extending in front of them.

 

Something in Jace’s posture, Isabelle shocked expression or Alec’s furrowed brows told her that somehow they knew the place.

They were staring down to the ruins of a city, an old, old city that had once been built around a hillside.

Black clouds and fog surrounded the top of the hillside while heaps of rock were all that was left of the houses, a heavy veil of ash had settled over the streets and the jagged ruins of buildings; the whole picture seemed taken out of a dystopian book settled after an apocalypse.

Among the ruins, Clary noticed broken pillars made of shining pale stone similar to marble, on their feet some old inscription she couldn’t read.

Somehow, she felt like it was a familiar place, something she already seen in another version.

“Demon towers,” she whispered the words under shock, she couldn’t believe this.

Jace nodded grimly. “I don’t know how,” he said, “but somehow—this is Alicante.”

 

**I'll be the light and lead you home when there's nowhere left to go**

**I'll be the voice you always know when you're lost and all alone**

**I won't let you go**

Clary, Simon, Jace, Alec, and Isabelle walked through the dead Alicante, trying to place, in their mind every set of the Alicante they know.

The walls around the city, now a pile of shattered bricks and marble; the gates, corroded with the scars of acid rain and lava. The empty canals, empty and burned.

 

After a few minutes, the squad clambered over a high mound of rubble and found themselves in Angel Square.

Everyone gasped at the sight — though most of the buildings had fallen, the square was surprisingly unharmed, the marble of the floor dominating the place.

The Hall of Accords was still standing.

 

It wasn’t white stone, though. In the human dimension, it looked like a Greek temple: powerful, celestial, like touched by Raziel in person.

But in this world it was silver and black, with some touch of gold.

It had the same building of a Greek temple but somehow it was like the dark twin of the one they knew, like as if Lucifer’s rage created it the night he fell.

The squad paused at an enormous large golden-burnt door: on it, squares of hammered metal panel engraved with different images.

“It’s a story, but I can’t read this” the blonde parabatai touched the engravings with a black-gloved finger cleaning it from the dust.

Isabelle and Jace glanced at the same time over at Alec. “Can you read it?”

“Am I the only person who paid attention in language lessons?”

“I knew that was Alec the bookworm of the group” Simon’s voice resounded proudly through the entire building.

Alec rolled his eyes stepping up to look more closely at the scrawl. “Humans lived here, or something like humans, they lived in peace”

The archer pointed a group of people, barefoot and in robes, like the old romans.

“They lived in peace, and then demons came. And then—” He broke off, his hand on a panel whose image was familiar even to Simon. On the sculptured picture, The Angel Raziel, rising out of Lake Lyn, the Mortal Instruments in hand. “By the Angel.”

 

“Literally,” said Isabelle. “How—Is that our Angel? Our lake?”

 

“I don’t know. This says the demons came, and the Shadowhunters were created to battle them,” Alec moved to the next panel deep in concentration, his eyes scanning the whole image.

“Shadowhunters rejected the help of Downworlders, oh wow that’s a news- anyway, the warlocks and the Fair Folk joined with their infernal parents. They sided with the demons and obviously the Nephilim were defeated, and slaughtered. In their last days they created a weapon that was meant to hold the demons off.” He indicated a panel showing the sculpture of woman holding up a sort of iron sword with a burning red stone set into the end of it. “They didn’t have seraph blades or Iron Sisters or Silent Brothers, either. They had blacksmiths, and they developed some sort of weapon, but it wasn’t enough.” He moved to the last panel, which showed destruction and death: the Nephilim lying dead, the woman with the sword crumpled on the ground, the weapon lying defeated at her side.

“The demons—or Asmodei—burned away the sun and filled the sky with ash and clouds. They ripped fire from the earth and drained the seas until everything was dead”

 

“Mh, comforting” Simon looked around, the view matched perfectly the story.

“This is a mirror dimension of our world. A place where history went differently.” Jace’s fingers brushed the last panel, his dream from when he entered Edom resurfacing in his mind “A world with no Shadowhunters, only blood and death”

“It’s like Planet of the Apes,” said Simon. “Except that was the future, and there are no apes here.”

 

“Yeah, well, this could be our future, if Sebastian gets what he wants,” Jace’s voice was firm and cut the air around them like a knife.

“We need to find them soon” and with that, he pushed the massive doors with a shriek of hinges that made Clary wince.

Isabelle, Alec, Clary, and Simon exchanged glances and followed him.

Alec went first, bow ready with five arrows; then Isabelle with her whip, Clary with her sword, and Simon, eyes gleaming like a cat’s in the dimness and teeth shining like marble.

 

The inside of the Accords Hall was both familiar and unfamiliar. The floor was a dark black marble shored with tiny white dots that made it look like a sky stars but cracked and broken. In many places the floor was completely destroyed, in other parts completely burnt.

The roof above – which in their Alicante was glass – was long gone, only shards of amber remaining, like clear knives against the sky.

 

The room itself was empty, save for a statue in the center.

“Hey there, here you are dark mortal sword”

Isabelle reached Jace in front of the statue, craning her head back.

“The hilt has the same red demon rock I have”

Whoever had carved the statue had been skilled. The face was handsome, square-jawed, it seemed carved from Michelangelo himself.

But there was a certain harshness in his eyes and a devilish twist to his mouth that spoke of selfishness and cruelty.

There were words written on the plinth, and though they were not in English, everyone could read and understand them.

 

JONATHAN SHADOWHUNTER. FIRST AND LAST OF THE NEPHILIM.

 

“First and last,” Isabelle whispered. “This place is a tomb.”

“Either way, it means that thing the statue is holding is a real weapon, maybe it could help us” Jace had already put his backpack on the floor.

Isabelle tapped the pendant around her throat. “And the red stone. It looks like it’s made from the same stuff as my necklace.”

“Even if we would take the sword in this world wasn’t enough, we should-“ suddenly Simon stopped Alec’s words, hearing something moving.

“I heard something”

Isabelle freed her whip, fending the air in front of them like a lighting through the dark.

“Come out!” after Clary screamed a figure started walking towards them: it looked like a woman, with a bunch of curly hair and a long white dress.

An iron belt secured around her hips, it was unmistakable: the woman was an Iron sister.

“Jace Herondale finally in Edom, I was waiting for you”

Clary, Simon, Alec and Isabelle exchanged looks trying to identify the woman.

Until they saw the belt and immediately recognized her: the Iron sister killed by Owl!Jace.

“No I-It can’t be-“

Jace’s blood run cold in his veins, the air tightened his throat, choking off his words.

“You’re here to feel it again, to feel the darkness inside you”

Her smile became slightly mocking while she stepped toward him across the broken ground.

“You liked it, didn’t you?”

Jace took a breath that scorched his throat like a millions of pins. His forehead was slick with sweat and his hands were trying not to shake.

The heavenly fire was screaming inside of him, begging for release while his mind was shouting _go Jace, go and kill her again._

But all Jace could see behind his eyelids were the memories of himself attacking the iron sister, brutally murdering her, making him a killer.

“You can tell yourself that everything you did was forced on you, that you weren’t the one acting, that is all Lilith’s fault, but we two know the truth. Lilith’s bond was only an excuse for you to do the things you desired to do either way”

And suddenly, the dream he had at the beginning of this infernal trip came full force into his mind: Jace, sitting on a mountain of skulls with his hands covered in blood.

His eyes empty as the lands he ruled.

“Shut up-!”

“You saw it, didn’t you?” the woman smirked, her eyes like flames.

“This burned land, all destruction, and you ruling over it? That was your vision? The wish of your heart?” She caught his wrist, and her voice rose, exultant, similar to the cry of the Asmodei flying not too far away. “All this time you thought _I’m not like Lilith, I’m not like Johnatan_ , but I’ll tell you a secret: you are like them.”

“I said, SHUT UP!” Jace cried, and brought up his blade, an arc of fire across the sky. She jerked back, and for a moment Jace thought that the fire had brushed the Iron Sister’s dress because suddenly all he could see was fire, and the Iron Sister’s voice transforming into something animal and inhuman.

He felt the burn and twist of blood in his veins, so he took a step back and realized he was surrounded by fire because he was the source of it, the flames was pouring out from him blasting everything in front of him, Iron Sister included.

He saw the ground shimmer in gold reflection of the flames as he fell to his knees, his seraph blade abandoned next to him, as the fire roared up to the sky.

“Jace!”

Clary screaming immediately reaching for Heosphoros, a second later a loud cry could been heard through the whole Edom: the Asmodei noticed them.

With the blade in her hand, Clary began walking towards the spiral of fire, her fingers moving to take the Steele and drawing a fireproof rune on her wrist, bold and black against her skin.

She looked at Alec, trying not to panic “I’ll try to bring Jace out of the fire, worked once in Alicante can work again, cover me”

Alec nodded to her, already with incendiary arrows ready to being shot to the demons flying towards them.

Clary entered the circle of fire and up close the fire was a wall of gold, moving and shifting, the flames flickering created dark shadows on her cheeks.

In the center of the circle of flame knelt Jace; he was untouched by fire himself, he was standing on the floor with his palms on the floor, pouring a river of what looked like molten gold that was crystallizing the earth, turning it to a hard, golden material that shone like—

Like adamas.

She crawled forward toward Jace, hitting the gold hardened ground with the heel of her boots.

“Jace, Jace look at me” she took his face into her gently hands, raising it to meet her eyes.

“I have an idea, but you need to trust me,” she whispered almost on his lips, and though the chaos around them, she felt him relax and nodding.

Clary reached for Heosphoros, took Jace’s hands in her and put them on the haft of the sword.

A second later, the flames raised up to the sky in an infinity spiral of gold and red along with their screams.

 

Outside the flames, Alec was shooting incendiary and explosive arrows one behind the other but always with meticulous precision, Isabelle was like a Wonder Woman full of rage and beauty: her shots planned to be lethal.

Simon was trying to help her as much as he could with his speed and force, the Mark of Cain being his best weapon.

The Asmodei were everywhere, flying above them like a dark cloud commanded by Johnatan in person, their wings hitting and destroying parts of their armors, making them scream in pain at every blow.

Suddenly the spiral of heavenly fire opened and the rest of the squad noticed Jace and Clary embracing  each other, their arms up in the air above them holding Heosphoros up, Clary’s red hair looked like flames themselves.

The sword was a column of shining light that resembled a lighting created by Zeus himself.

Simon noticed that the fire wasn’t disappearing, it was being aspirated by Heosphoros.

For how critical the situation was, Simon was fascinated.

 

“We can’t fight all of them Alec! They’re too much!” Isabelle was fighting with four Asmodei, her whip moving so fast it was almost invisible, around her, the light of the weapon was creating golden trails.

“I know, I need Clary to create a portal to the niche we were yesterday! And soon!”

Isabelle turned to the circle of fire where Jace and Clary were and noticed that the fire was disappeared completely and the two of them were unharmed.

Heosphoros shining like never before.

“Clary we need a portal-Simon!” Isabelle saw her boyfriend being thrown against a marble column by an Asmodeo, the loud crash of broken glass resounded in the whole room.

 “SIMON!” Isabelle run to the vampire destroying every Asmodeo on her way with fierce rage and expertized moves until she was crouched next to him.

“I’m okay don’t worry, think about the demons-”

“ISABELLE! SIMON!” Alec’s scream made them turn in his direction; the archer’s expression was a mask of horror.

Suddenly Isabelle felt a sharp pain through her whole body; pieces of her angelic wings that covered her shoulders and half of her back were flying in the air and landing next to Simon.

“Isabelle-!” the girl fell to the ground with her back on the floor, from the air the Asmodeo that attacked her and Simon flew dive-bombing above the Lightwood, taking her right leg into his monstrous claws cutting the cloth of her armor and letting blood pouring from a crescent-shaped slash in her leg.

She was gasping, her eyelids fluttering, around them remained some Asmodei, while another horde was coming.

“Izzy!” Clary dropped to her knees, yanking the stele from her belt, Alec using himself as a barrier between them and the demons “Iz, Izzy, hold on—”

“Is it bad?” Alec asked without looking, concentrated on not letting any demon coming closer than necessary “CLARY IS IT BAD?”

“Yes, we need to get away from here!”

 

Jace tore at the slashed fabric of Isabelle’s gear, ripping her trouser leg open to the knee.

Isabelle’s leg was rib boned: blood and pulping muscles visible.

It wasn’t a show for squeamish for sure.

Jace put his stele to the skin of her knee and drew an iratze, and then another, another and another.

Even if his shoulders were shaking his hand remained steady. Clary admired his composure.

After all the demons close to them were dead on the ground, Alec run to his sister “Izzy,” Alec’s voice was desperate and in his eyes some tears were born.

All of them watched the iratzes fading one after the other leaving white remnants behind.

“No no no please, not you too-” a loud cry vibrated through the walls around them and as Simon looked up his mouth was already shouting.

“Demons!” he cried, just as the sky filled with the next horde of Asmodei.

Clary saw Alec closing his eyes for an interminable second and then opening them again: the panic that was rising, hidden somewhere deep in his mind.

“Simon, take Isabelle, you two with me” the vampire did as instructed, Jace and Clary following Alec.

“Clary be ready to draw your sun rune, Jace prepare the heavenly fire” Jace watched his parabatai as he loaded four incendiary arrows and one explosive into his bow.

He then took Jace and Clary and put them in front of him, positioning himself behind Clary and wrapping the arm that he used to shoot around her “draw your rune and when I say fire, I’ll shoot the arrows, Jace hold Clary’s wrist and pass her the heavenly fire through whatever bond you have on this stuff”

“You will burn Edom to the ground this way” Jace positioned his body next to Alec, an arm around him while the other connected to Clary.

“I don’t fucking care anymore, if burning this dimension is the solution to find Magnus, save Isabelle and killing the bastard, let be it”

Jace gave a whistle smirking already feeling his blood changing, when Clary looked at him his eyes were already gold.

“Fire!”

Clary drew the rune in the palm of her hand, a second later a blinding ray of light erupted from her hand and into the ray, the arrows flew like shining comets.

Jace followed Clary and soon the ray changed into a spiral of melting golden light and liquid gold, powerful and terrifying at the same time, a spiral that Illuminated the whole Dark Alicante and Edom around it.

Clary’s hair were flying violently as a flag caught in the wind and somehow, to Simon, her red hair looked like a fire hitting full force with his power.

The three of them were three dark figures against the apocalyptic scenario behind them, full of fire and flames and smoke: it looked like as if hundredth of bombs had fallen all at once.

 

 

Luke raised his chin flinching at the sudden explosive sound like as if a real bomb had fallen.

Luke run to the window with Magnus next to him, weaker than ever.

“Is that…fire?”

Luke was observing the scene – that wasn’t too far away from the castle he supposed – with terrified eyes.

“Not really, well there’s fire for sure but that light in the middle it’s- it’s not fire” Magnus turned his head towards the wolf, a hint of suspicion forming in his cat eyes “its heavenly fire, I saw it in Alicante when Jace was training”

Magnus turned his eyes on the infernal scene again, his breath stopping in his throat.

Alexander could have been there, and the mere idea of having him just a few meters away made a tear fall.

“Alexander…”

“They’re here, I can feel it Magnus”

Magnus hadn’t the time to smile that suddenly a voice behind them vibrated through the cell, the mocking tone completely gone for a more severus and dangerous one.

 

“And this is why this will be your last round my highness” Johnatan opened the door and pointed Magnus with his chin.

“Take him”

“No no no no Magnus- MAGNUS!” Johnatan punched Luke into his stomach making him crumble to the floor with a hiss and blood spitted from his mouth.

“When they will come, it will be too late, say them that the warlock suffered all night and that when they entered the castle I ordered to kill him just for the joy of seeing the Shadowhunter fall apart under my eyes as my dear Asmodei”

Johnatan left and the only thing that resounded in the room were Luke’s sobs and punches to the closed door.

 

 

**I will find you here inside the dark**

**I will break through no matter where you are**

 

“GO GO GO OPEN A PORTAL CLARY!” Clary untied herself from the parabatai and run to Simon, the adrenaline keeping her up even if she could hear every fiber in her being screaming for relief.

She planted the tip of the Steele on the surface of the wall were Simon hidden, drawing the rune quickly.

Her heart was beating so fast that she believed it would have jumped out of her chest.

“c’mon, c’mon” Clary waited a second and then the wall begin to shine, the relief made her scream in happiness.

“Simon go, we’ll be right behind you!” Simon was the first to enter the portal with Isabelle in his arms, Clary turned to Alec and Jace and screamed “guys the portal is ready!”

Jace and Alec both stopped the fire of the blonde parabatai at the same moment and on shaky legs, they run to the portal, literally jumping in.

Clary was sucked into the portal thanks to Jace grabbing her wrist, a second later the portal closed right before an Asmodeo entered.

 

 

 

Clary – and practically all of them – slammed into the ground hard, bruising her knees and elbows.

She looked up and sighed in relief, the familiar cave’s roof rose above, marked with stalactites. There was the fire pit, the marks on the floor where they had all slept the night before.

She turned around and saw Alec, on his knees beside Isabelle, pale and drained-looking, gasping shallow breaths. Jace dropped down beside Alec with Simon and moved Isabelle’s hair away.

 

“What can we do?” Simon’s voice wasn’t controlled and Clary knew he was panicking.

She moved forward and knelt down on the other side of Isabelle, opposite Jace, stele slipping in her bloody fingers. She put the tip to Izzy’s wrist and poured herself with all she had into the thought of healing her.

_Heal, heal, heal,_

Finally the stele’s tip shone and burned Izzy’s forearm skin. Izzy jerked in Alec’s arms and Alec trembled with fear.

He had his head buried in his sister’s hair, praying the Angel “Izzy, please,” he whispered. “Not after Magnus. Izzy, please, stay with me.”

Two tears cleaned a bit Alec’s face covered in blood and Icore.

Isabelle gasped and then sank back as the iratze vanished from her skin.

“The rune it’s not strong enough”

“It’s not you; it’s the poison,” Jace said. “Demon poison. In her blood. Sometimes runes can’t help.”

“Try again,” Alec’s panic voice ringed and his tone was full of panic while his eyes were completely wet “With the iratze. Or with a new rune; you could create a rune—”

Clary wanted to cry, she never saw Alec like this, neither having a panic attack.

She had never wanted to create a rune more, but the stele no longer felt like a gift, it seemed like a curse right now. She had never felt more helpless.

Simon punched the rock wall in desperation, breaking the tiny wings Lava put on every finger.

_Dying for the people you love doesn’t seem so bad Fray._

Suddenly his own words, said in a casual night with Clary before the whole _I’m a Shadowhunter_ thing, came to his mind.

_You did it once Simon, you can do it again._

“Move,” Simon fell on his knees next to Isabelle, all of them grouped around her, Alec and Jace in tears.

 

He snapped his fangs out, sharp and white, like pearls. Clary sucked in her breath as Simon raised his own wrist to his mouth and sliced open the veins, the blood running in rivulets down his arm.

 

Clary, Jace and Alec gasped remaining silent while Simon held his wrist over the gash in Isabelle’s leg letting the blood covering her wound.

 

“What- what are you doing-?” Alec choked out the words with trembling lips “I procured myself a gash like this once, well smaller and Raphael explained to me that vampire’s blood can heal, I didn’t believe him so he showed him directly on myself with his blood”

 

Isabelle, still unconscious, arched back into her brother’s arms as if she was convulsing, the heel of her boot dug into the ground as her rib boned skin began to knit itself back together. Simon’s blood was pouring in a dense rivulet covering the injury, and when Alec saw the new, pink skin, he began to cry.

 

Isabelle opened her dark eyes, revealing them wide as a saucer coffee, her white lips starting to gain color back into them. She stared at Simon uncomprehendingly, and then down at her leg.

Simon’s blood was still dripping slowly from his wrist, his skin much paler than usual; his veins were standing out against his skin, black as the clouds in Edom.

“Simon, you need to stop, Izzy is fine” Clary got closer to her friend trying to stop him from bleeding to death “Simon, it’s alright, you did it” Clary held Simon’s wrist as he slumped back against her body, his eyes fluttering in exhaustion.

A second later, Simon was wrapped by Alec’s arms who was violently crying.

From his lips a waterfall of “thank you” were falling.

 

Simon woke up to the sound of Jace and Clary’s boots coming closer.

He opened his eyes and looked around: the fire burned in the middle of the cave, creating dark shadows on Isabelle sleeping in Alec’s lap and Alec himself, making him look very tired and a bit older, dark circles were being more prominent and on his jaws a beard was appearing.

“Ehy beauty sleep woke up” Jace sat next to Simon, inspecting him.

“why are you looking at me so close, you’re creepy” Simon tried to sit with the help of his forearms but as soon as he sit up his view went black, making him falling on his back.

“Whoa easy tiger” Jace held him “you need to eat”

Clary nodded, already taking Simon’s backpack.

“Where are the bottles you brought?”

“Clary don’t-”

“What the-“ Clary retired her hand from the backpack covered in blood and watched Simon puzzled.

“They broke,” Simon’s voice was compliant “When we were fighting the demons in the Accords Hall and the demon threw me into a wall. The blood’s gone.”

 

“Simon, why didn’t you say something?” Clary wore a fond and worried look, her voice low so Isabelle wouldn’t wake up.

“Because it wasn’t the time, we were surrounded by demons and Isabelle needed cure”

“But now there aren’t demons and Isabelle is alright”

“Yet, no food”

“I didn’t know I was dead, Clary why didn’t you said anything?”

Clary rolled her eyes affectionately and then turned to Simon “there’s us Si, you can feed on us”

“No”

“Why not?” Jace looked down at Simon; his expression curious. “We already done that, you became a day lighter thanks to my fabulous burning blood”

 

Simon sighed: even if Jace was using sarcasm, he understood that his offer was completely serious.

“I’m not biting someone whose veins are full of heavenly fire, being a toast is not on my wish list”

Clary moved her hair back, exposing her throat. “Look, drink my blood, you’re starving”

“I-I can’t Clary-“

“I’ll do it.” Suddenly Alec’s voice interrupted their whispered conversation, and then he sat up, carefully repositioning Izzy on the blanket.

“I owe you” Alec answered Simon untold question and then got up, giving Simon his hand.

After a moment, Simon took it and let him haul him to his feet. He casted a look at Isabelle, asleep, wrapped like a burrito in Alec and Magnus’s blue blanket. She was breathing, slow and steady.

Because of him.

 

“Does it have to be my neck?”

“Luckily for both of us, no” Simon chuckled a little tiredly, feeling like Edward Cullen ready to bite his Bella.

 “Wrists are okay too.”

“Please don’t smile while you’re doing it, I know that for vampires this blood thing is close to the sensation of having sex”

When three pairs of eyes looked at him, with a _how do you know that?_ Question written all over them, Alec raised his hands and pointed at Isabelle and Simon “ask them, Isabelle already told me enough things I didn’t want to hear”

Simon coughed embarrassed and if he could have blushed, he was sure he would have been red right now.

“O-Okay so, wrist”

Alec rolled up the sleeve of his armor up to his elbow and Simon noticed that his right arm wasn’t covered in runes as much as his left.

Under the pale skin, blue veins were visible, a cobweb of holy blood praying to be eaten.

Even if he was trying to resist, he felt the sting of hunger shoring him, and before acknowledging his actions, his tongue licked his upper teeth feeling his canines sharpening into fangs.

After an hour, Alec was cocooned in his blue blanket eating the rest of a sandwich to gain his strength back, Isabelle and Simon both asleep in each other’s arms.

“After you finish go to sleep, I’ll take the guard turn tonight” Jace looked at Alec while cleaning his sword, Alec nodded to his brother already yawing.

Less than ten minutes later, Alec was buried under the blanket, his eyelids dropping more and more.

Jace got up with Clary and walked towards him, a soft smile on their lips “sleep well bro, tomorrow we’re gonna save them”

Clary smiled warmly at Alec closing his eyes with a tiny smile and hoped that he was dreaming of beautiful memories he lived with Magnus.

 

“Okay, let’s go watch these nasty demons” they walked in silence, the witchlight in Clary’s hand the only source of light through the hallway.

A calming silence fell and for a moment, Clary thought that this could have been their last moment of tranquility before the storm.

They sat down laying their back against a massive rock, their bodies screaming in relief; it had been hard days even for trained shadowhunters like most of them.

“Thanks for saving me from the heavenly fire yesterday”

“Girlfriend duty”

“Do you think your plan it’s gonna work?”

“There’s a possibility, but the others can’t know Jace, there already too much people at risk in this mission and putting Isabelle, Simon and Alec too would be too risky and stupid, Johnatan would recognize a wrong glance from them in a second”

“You’re right, as always” Jace let out a little laugh and then stretched out an arm to let Clary rest against his body.

“You know, if you concentrate deep enough for a second, this red sky could be a beautiful sunset”

Jace felt Clary trembling with laughter and lowered his chin towards her “if you concentrate really deep”

“Yeah, the Asmodei can be I don’t know seagulls”

“You know what? You’re right, let make this a beautiful sunset of Miami”

Clary turned to her backpack and took out a small moleskin, a pencil and some colors.

“You really brought book sketching to Hell?” Jace’s expression was hilarious, he seemed so shocked that Clary couldn’t do much but just scrunching her nose adorably and kiss Jace’s briefly.

“Wherever I go, moleskin follows me, it could be even useful for researches in our world”

She smiled at him while her hand began to draw the apocalyptic view in front of them and Jace hadn’t the heart to answer that there was a possibility of never going back to their world.

He just sat in silence, holding her with his sword ready in case of emergency.

 

 

**I will find you here inside the dark**

**I will break through no matter where you are**

 “Okay, there are Endarkened shadowhunters all around the castle, usual red capes and all; they seem almost comatose by Johnatan’s control”

Jace walked towards Simon and Isabelle, left behind in the cave to give the youngest lightwood more time to recover.

“Do we have a plan?” Simon asked packing up the last things in his backpack.

Jace pulled his stele from his pocket and let his tip touching the floor “in Alicante there is one way to enter the Guard, through the gate in the outer wall. It’s closed, but an Open rune should take care of that. The question is how to get to the gate.” Jace remained silent for a second before talking again.

“we could kill the ones that get in our way but I think it would be too risky, even sneaking in it’s not as easy as we think”

“Well if we sneak in as Endarkened shadowhunters it’s not risky at all” Simon intervened with a thoughtful hand under his chin “we can do like in the movies”

“We don’t watch movies” Jace was looking at Simon puzzled, trying to understand what Simon had in mind.

“I do-“

“Because Magnus is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge and loves to watch movies so he can cuddle with his tree boyfriend”

Alec’s cheek were painted red while the girls chuckled at his reaction.

“Anyway, in the films, if the main character has to enter a place to steal something or he mustn’t be recognized, or stuff like this usually he dress like the people the character wants to trick”

“We can knock down five Endarkened with arrows, steal their capes and then enter the castle” Alec turned to Simon a little surprised by the plan “you’re a great strategist you know?”

Simon looked taken back by Alec’s words, they really come a long way since they met, there wasn’t the hate feeling Alec had in the firsts days anymore, Alec considered Simon family as much as Jace and Simon felt his heart warmer at the thought.

“Thanks” Simon smiled at him and then turned to Jace getting up.

“Okay beautiful people, time to march, today is a beautiful day to save lives”

Simon turned to him with an amused smile “ _we don’t watch movies_ my ass, you just quoted grey’s anatomy”

“It’s Clary’s fault, she made me watch like three season in a week”

“Oh poor child, watch eleven seasons in three weeks and then we can talk”

Isabelle laughed at Jace completely shocked expression, the blonde parabatai mouthing Simon’s words at a laughing Clary.

“Mundane things Jace” she got up on her tiptoes and left a kiss on his cheek, Alec turning away trying to concentrate on loading the arrows in his bow.

Just a few hours and the same happiness would came back to him and Magnus too.

 

The four shadowhunters put on the top of their armor back after they runed practically their entire chest, back and arms.

Clary didn’t think she’d ever been so heavily runed, or had ever seen the Lightwoods covered in as many runes as they were now.

“Everyone ready? Let’s go” Alec’s voice snapped Clary out of her thoughts and her hand quickly moved to create a portal to Dark Alicante.

They stumbled across the hill; the air was heavy and hot, as if the burned-orange sun was burning them directly.

They came across the Accord Hall again and stopped just to drink some waters to clear their lungs from the intensive dust of this demon realm.

Simon passed two bottle, one to Clary and one to Isabelle and remained silent while his human friends drank.

The vampire couldn’t help to notice that Jace’s lips were cracked despite his iratzes while Alec had shadows under his eyes, a short beard and a nervous twitch in his left hand.

Isabelle’s eyes were red with dust, while Clary wore a spark of angriness in her eyes along with sharpened cheeks.

They all looked terrible, Simon thought, but he was hoping that these would have been their last terrible hours.

Suddenly, Simon looked up towards the discarded ruins behind Jace “What?”

“Someone’s coming. Someone human.”

 

“How do you know they’re human?” Clary whispered with her hand on Heosphoros.

“Demon blood smells different. These are people—Nephilim, but different from you.”

 

Jace pressed his back to the wall and peered outside, tightening his jaw “Endarkened” he looked again “Five of them.”

“Perfect number,” said Alec with a surprisingly wolfish grin, before anyone could say something or do something, Alec was already out on the field with his bow in his hands letting his arrows fly.

 

Jace was surprised by Alec’s action but he couldn’t blame him, he was the most eager to kill and find the damn castle of them all.

“Alec!” Jace screamed whispered his parabatai name and sighed, Alec was a killer machine today but meticulous and always wary; he wouldn’t dare to risk his friends lives like this.

Isabelle slide after him like a cat, and Simon followed, fast and teeth out.

Clary reached for Heosphoros, and looked down the hill: one of the Endarkened Shadowhunters, a blond, pale woman, was sprawled on the ground, an arrow protruding from her mouth.

 

Next to her, Alec was notching his bow again, letting another arrow flying.

A second man, bold and thin, staggered back with a yell, the arrow in his chest; Isabelle’s whip was on him in an instant, slicing his throat and then another.

Alec and Isabelle were like one sometimes and Clary was amazed every time.

As she turned her head, she saw a blade flashing through the dust, slicing the head off a blonde man and covering half of Jace’s body in blood.

Clary jumped to Simon impaling her sword through the back of another Endarkened woman, while Simon flashed past Clary before the last one could attack her.

Clary turned and the sound like tearing paper, she moved her eyes away and a few moments later, Simon rose from the still body cleaned his mouth as much as he could.

“Bitter,” he said. “The blood. It tastes like Johnatan’s.”

**I will find you**

“Okay take the capes and cover yourself as much as you can” all of them did as Alec instructed but Alec didn’t move.

“Alec?” Isabelle looked at her brother and noticed his hands were shaking slightly.

“I’m okay, I’m…okay” Alec tightened his grip on his cape and looked at the castle and Clary never saw his hazel eyes burning so determined and powerfully than now.

Because that thing is, Alec was the calmer one in the group but since the kidnapping, he wore this fierce and dangerous spark that Clary always saw and loved in Jace’s, the spark that screamed _No one will stop me, come at me and I’ll kill you all with my bare hands._

Clary honestly couldn’t wait to see murderous Alec in action.

Alec took a deep breath and then he hide all his worries and fears in a deep corner of his mind, his dark, puissant and dangerous façade back on his face.

Even Clary was starting to feel nervous, in a few minutes, she could have seen Luke again and from the look she exchanged with Izzy, she understood that the Lightwood was thinking of Raphael.

In a few minutes, they could have saved them all.

Alec turned around and started walking down the hill where the castle stood, everyone following him.

 

 

**I will find you**

Magnus gasped spitting out a clot of blood on the floor, his jaw – and his whole body – hissing at the pain inflicted for hours both physically with the Steele and the punches and both mentally with Johnatan’s words.

_Just a few more hours Magnus, you can do it._

“What would Alec think seeing you like this?”

A punch, the stele on his neck again.

_He would be proud of me._

“He would repudiate you, even Asmodeus would do it”

Another punch, another round of the agony rune.

_Don’t let his words have the best on you Magnus, hold on._

Suddenly Johnatan stopped, his hand halfway through the air and a hint of a pained expression on his lips that faded quickly to leave space for a smirk, two Endarkened Shadowhunter came into the room and gave some sort of message to Johnatan.

“Well well well, now that I think about it, what would it be to bring here in front of our majesty his lover’s dead body?”

“Close this door, let’s get them killed but don’t touch the red haired girl, when you finish bring the dead body of the dark haired Shadowhunter in front of Asmodeus’s son”

“Alec, Alec no! Alec!”

Johnatan faked a bow and then left smirking, leaving behind a very weak Magnus that tried to broke the chains around his wrists unsuccessfully and his throat shouting Alec’s name as much as he could behind the runed door, his screams barely audible.

 

 

“Okay stop, hide here” Alec and the squad crouched behind a rock and looked down at the entrance of the castle.

They were silent, all caught up in a moment of calm before the storm would have begun.

They all held each other’s hands trying to reassure every one as much as possible, the nervousness palpable.

Isabelle turned to Alec, her brother, her hero since she was four.

_His pain would end soon, and I’ll be here to watch him take his happiness back with his bare hands._

 

Alec was watching the castle without saying a word, his hazel eyes wearing a murderous look in them, like burning flames ready to explode.

He raised his chin and only a thing came to his mind.

 

_As you said, Erchomai, my dear Johnatan._

**Author's Note:**

> So, how was it? did u liked it?  
> Other two oneshot and this serie will end I'm sad :c (but I promise the happiness is coming, don't hate me I love u all ❤️)  
> sorry if there are some mistakes but my eyes are burning like the fire in Edom ahhaha hope u like it anyway, let me know and comments to ask anything or just talk or whatever you want to do.  
> see you in the next chapter! (spoiler: prepare the tissues this time)


End file.
